1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier device and a transport method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a carrier device that holds and carries a plurality of works arranged at even intervals, and supplies these to a supply portion at arbitrary intervals, and a transfer method. In addition, the present invention relates to a carrier hand. More specifically, the present invention also relates to a carrier hand that holds and carries a plurality of works.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, in a manufacturing process, a plurality of works is temporarily stored in a cutting pallet for aligning these works at even intervals. A carrier device holds and carries the plurality of works arranged at even intervals in the cutting pallet, and supplies these works to a predetermined supply part.
Herein, when the plurality of works is arranged in the cutting pallet according to the type of work, the intervals have come to differ. Therefore, it has been necessary for the carrier device to change the positions of the retaining portions holding the plurality of works to the intervals of the works arranged in the cutting pallet.
Patent Document 1 discloses an article feeding device that retains a plurality of articles disposed at even intervals by way of a retaining portion that includes a plurality of drive wheels each having different diameters and fixed to each other coaxially, a plurality of timing belts bridging between the respective drive pulleys, a plurality of article retaining parts that is mounted to the respective timing belts and retain articles, and a rotational drive means for rotationally driving the plurality of drive wheels.
According to this article feeding device, the plurality of drive wheels integrally rotate by way of the rotational drive means, and each of the article retaining parts moves only by an amount according to the rotation angle of the drive wheel, and thus each of the article retaining parts has an even interval, and can be varied to any interval depending on the rotation angle of the drive wheels.
In addition, conventionally, in a manufacturing process, the works are temporarily stored in a cutting pallet in order to arrange these works at fixed intervals. The carrier device holds and carries the plurality of works arranged at fixed intervals in the cutting pallet, and supplies these works to a predetermined supply part.
However, since the works differ in shape and size according to the type of works, the carrier device must hold and carry works by carrier hands suited to the shape and size of each work. If providing a carrier hand for every type of work, however, the installation space of the carrier device will increase.
Patent Document 1 shows an article feeding device that retains the articles by air suction using a suction means provided at a central portion of the article retaining part, and then feeds the articles.
According to this article feeding device, it is possible to retain and supply articles even if the shapes and sizes differ according to the type of article since the articles are air suctioned by the suction means; therefore, it is not necessary to provide a carrier device for every type of article, and thus the carrier device can be simplified.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2005-67752